Day: April 5, 2013

For 280+ straight days little Vivienne Harr, a nationally recognized child entrepreneur and activist who founded Make a Stand Lemon-aid, has set up her lemon-aid stand to stamp out child slavery and human trafficking. In 2012 alone she raised more than $150,000 at her stand and on crowdfunding site, Fundly.

This week “Vivi” is in Dallas raising money for the Letot Girls’ Residential Treatment Center. The new 55,000-square-foot Center is the first of its kind in North Texas and the nation. It is a place where “invisible girls” ages 13 to 17 who have experienced extreme abuse and exploitation in human trafficking – will benefit from six to 12 months of long-term treatment and shelter safe from pimps, as well as ongoing community-based support for themselves and their families.

Today the Lemon-aid stand was erected right across the street from a CASA Press Conference for Child Abuse Prevention Month, attended by many community child advocacy groups and Child Protective Services leaders and staff. Also in attendance were Dallas County Commissioners Dr. Elba Garcia and Dr. Theresa Daniel, Gloria Campos (anchor, WFAA who MC’d), Juvenile Court Judge William Mazur and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. Judge Mazur gave an impassioned speech on the problems we face as institutions entrusted to help save and protect the lives of children from funding to policy to outreach. When Judge Jenkins took the mic he said one thing about the funding and it rang out loud and clear: “I’m not sure about our Rainy Day funds, but I don’t know of a rainier day than when a child is hurt.” After a moment of silence for the children we’ve lost this year to abuse and a balloon send-off and prayer for them, attendees went right across the street to Founders Square where they met “Vivi,” drank lemon-aid and made their donations.